News Release

PO
360
Trenton, NJ 08625-0360

For Release:
April 8, 2003

Clifton
R. Lacy, M.D.
Commissioner

For
Further Information Contact: Donna Leusner
(609) 984-7160

New Jersey Reports Third Suspected SARS Case

TRENTON -- The Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), in collaboration
with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), today reported
a third suspected case of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in
New Jersey.

New Jersey’s third suspected case is among 148 cases being investigated
nationwide. There have been no known SARS deaths in the United States
to date. Worldwide, 2,671 cases, including 101 deaths, have been reported
by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The third suspected case of SARS in New Jersey involves a 36-year-old
South Jersey female who traveled to Asia two weeks ago to visit family.
She returned to the United States on March 30. The woman reported muscle
aches and feeling ill during a stopover in Amsterdam on her return trip.
She traveled alone and denied contact with any ill individuals while traveling.

The woman went to a Pennsylvania hospital for evaluation on March 31.
Her symptoms included cough, muscle soreness, diarrhea and light sensitivity.

The patient remains in the hospital in stable condition.

The first suspected case of SARS in New Jersey involved a 36-year old
female who traveled to Asia on February 19 and returned to the United
States on March 2. She was treated in a North Jersey hospital and released
on March 17. She has fully recovered.

The second suspected case involved a 30-year old female who traveled
to Asia on March 15 and returned on March 30. The woman was treated by
her physician at work in New York City on March 30. She was never hospitalized
and remains at home recovering.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is a form of atypical pneumonia
occurring in a person who has traveled to a country with an outbreak or
come in contact with a person with SARS. SARS, the cause of which has
not yet been identified, begins as an influenza-like illness, with such
symptoms as rapid onset of high fever, muscle aches, headache, sore throat,
dry cough and shortness of breath. X-rays may show pneumonia and/or other
changes. Laboratory tests show low numbers of white blood cells and platelets.
Some cases worldwide, but only one in the United States, have involved
respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation.

The World Health Organization has urged all travelers to be aware of
the symptoms associated with SARS and has recommended that persons traveling
to Hong Kong and the Guangdong Province of China, two of the most affected
areas, postpone all but essential travel.

Suspected or probable cases have been reported to the WHO from the following
countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Taiwan, France, Germany,
Italy, Ireland, Malaysia, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand,
the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam.

The CDC has developed health alerts for individuals entering the United
States. These alerts are being distributed at all U.S. airports that receive
international flights, including Newark Liberty International Airport.

The DHSS has held weekly teleconferences with New Jersey hospitals and
public health agencies to provide updates, explain how to identify potential
cases and to detail appropriate reporting mechanisms. Health officials
in New Jersey have been instructed to immediately report any suspected
cases by telephone to both DHSS and local health officials. The DHSS maintains
close communication regarding SARS with the CDC and New Jersey’s
public health and health care communities.